Hi all, I am looking for some books that talk about "single pointed meditation OR attention" OR "one pointed attention OR meditation". Sorry I find a google search term here a be a good future google searches on this topic. OK so I am looking for some books that will teach me exactly how to do one pointed attention meditation on an object to train my attention. Any body know of some books that go through great detail telling exactly how to do it. I find if I put my attention on something for too long I don't know which part of my attention I should put on it. There seems to be different ways of looking at an object so I get confused. I have read a lot about meditation this is the one thing I think I need to learn about more. Any thoughts or books to recommend?

I have already read this book. It's pretty good but does not address my problem. What I want is to learn how to look at an object of my meditation. I find my mind looks at it in different ways. So I don't know which way I should focus on looking at the object.

I have already read this book. It's pretty good but does not address my problem. What I want is to learn how to look at an object of my meditation. I find my mind looks at it in different ways. So I don't know which way I should focus on looking at the object.

Thanks and peace.

First, you are trying to replace the visual object with the memorized or visualized object. So first get just a general notion of the presence in front of you; overall shape first - triangular, oval, seated person etc. Then pick an important element - face of the person or major feature of the object and visualize that part until it is clear. If adding the color helps, fine; if it distracts you never mind for now. Keep adding elements or parts, without losing that part which is clear. The visualized object is not opaque, but made of light. The size should be small, but not tiny and 4 or 5 feet in front of your gaze. Most important is to imbue the visualized object with its (hopefully altruistic) purpose or quality, even when fuzzy.

Basically, there is not even one buddha, only great wisdom. Bodhisattva Hsuan Hua

I have already read this book. It's pretty good but does not address my problem. What I want is to learn how to look at an object of my meditation. I find my mind looks at it in different ways. So I don't know which way I should focus on looking at the object.

Thanks and peace.

First, you are trying to replace the visual object with the memorized or visualized object. So first get just a general notion of the presence in front of you; overall shape first - triangular, oval, seated person etc. Then pick an important element - face of the person or major feature of the object and visualize that part until it is clear. If adding the color helps, fine; if it distracts you never mind for now. Keep adding elements or parts, without losing that part which is clear. The visualized object is not opaque, but made of light. The size should be small, but not tiny and 4 or 5 feet in front of your gaze. Most important is to imbue the visualized object with its (hopefully altruistic) purpose or quality, even when fuzzy.

So if I put together what I already know with what you said. It should look like this right?

The idea is to hold an image of something (preferably a Buddha or Mandala) in your mind without an external object, but this takes time. So first I will have to put the object preferably 4-5 feet in front of my gaze. But at first I will just have to analyze the image at first and contemplate it. But over time it will become engrained in my mind. So in the beginning it would not matter which way or focus I use to look at the image. In time it will all come together. Is that how it works and what you are saying?

Astral P. - Try not to jump around from part to part of the image. Stay with one section until it is clear and stable - then move on. It will not "come together" on its own - you have to build or visualize it yourself.

Basically, there is not even one buddha, only great wisdom. Bodhisattva Hsuan Hua